Shalmaneser III and the Levantine States: The “Damascus
Coalition Rebellion”

A. Kirk Grayson

Abstract

This article serves to promote the interaction between
biblical scholars and archaeologists as well as other specialists in ancient
Near Eastern Studies. It discusses the Western policy begun by Shalmaneser III
and its impact in the Levant in general and Israel and Judah in particular. The
Assyrians had great knowledge of, and interest in, foreign lands, their
cultures, economies, and languages. It is hard to believe that they did not,
with their disciplined structure and extensive knowledge of the world around
them, have long-range plans to which the aims of the annual campaigns, barring
emergencies, adhered.